1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to recreational vehicle drain and supply hoses, electrical lines and cables therefor, and to elastomeric seals and the like. More particularly, the present invention comprises various embodiments of a pest control seal for a recreational vehicle that provides a seal about the waste drain hose and/or other conduits entering or leaving a recreational vehicle to seal the various passages through a wall or panel of the service compartment of the vehicle, thereby preventing rodents and other pests from gaining access to the recreational vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most recreational vehicles (RVs) are sufficiently well equipped to allow a small family to live independently for at least a few days at a time while on the road. Such vehicles are equipped with sleeping facilities for a small number of people, as well as cooking and simple bathroom facilities. Larger vehicles may include most, or all, of the amenities found in many homes.
Of course, the provision of kitchen and bathroom facilities in an RV necessitates some provision for water, and for at least one holding tank for used water from the kitchen and bath. In many instances, wash water from the kitchen and bath and flushed water from the toilet facilities are drained into separate holding tanks in the RV. In any event, these holding tanks must be drained periodically.
This is conventionally accomplished while on the road at various campgrounds and other areas specializing in the handling of such vehicles. Nearly all such facilities provide a waste dump location, which may be utilized by RV operators for a fee. The RV operator need only access the service compartment of the vehicle, connect a sewage drain hose from the drain outlet in the service compartment to the wastewater drain at the RV service area, and open the appropriate valve(s) in the service compartment. The process takes little time, and the operator is likely to remain in close proximity to the service compartment and drain hose during the operation.
However, such drain hoses are usually left in place between the RV and campsite drain when the RV is parked at a campsite for an overnight or longer stay. Most facilities that handle RVs provide “hookups” at each RV parking or campsite for electrical and water supply for the RV, and for a “gray water” and/or sewage drain from the RV. These hoses and lines are generally left in place between the RV and the corresponding receptacle during the entire time the RV remains parked on the site, which may be anywhere from overnight to several weeks or more.
The sewage drain hose provided for an RV is generally formed of a thin, flexible, plasticized woven fabric having a helically wound wire therein to define the diameter of the hose and to prevent the hose from collapsing. This hose is available in a number of different diameters, and has the advantage of great flexibility and collapsibility along its length for storage. A disadvantage of such hoses is that the ridges formed by the internal wire coil provide traction for rodents, snakes, and/or other vermin to use the hose as a pathway between the ground and the RV to which the hose is attached, much as rats crawl up mooring lines to enter a ship docked at a pier. The sewage or wastewater drain opening through the floor of the RV service compartment is generally at least slightly larger than the diameter of the drain hose, thus allowing small animals to enter the service compartment. Once in the service compartment, they may work their way into the remainder of the vehicle interior. It is well known that most such creatures are attracted to the dark and relatively warm environment found in many areas of an RV, along with the potential for food.
Much the same is also true of other hoses and lines extending from a large RV while parked at a campground or the like. Such RVs will generally have a water supply hose or line connected thereto, as well as an electrical supply cable or line. These various lines all extend from various points external to the RV, into the RV through the service compartment. All such hoses, cables, lines, etc. can provide pathways for rodents, reptiles, and/or other vermin to enter the RV via the service compartment.
A number of different sealing devices have been developed in the past for use in environments different from that of the present invention. The use of static and dynamic seals for use in differential pressure environments (e.g., steam fittings, oil seals for rotating shafts, etc.) is well known. An example of such a static pressure seal is found in European Patent No. 603,775, published on Jun. 29, 1994, which describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a static seal for a pipe radially disposed from a larger diameter pipe or wall. The elastomer seal is relatively thin, and is adapted to compress within a relatively small gap. The seal does not fill the entire space between the smaller and larger pipes, but only seals the inner end of the smaller diameter pipe relative to the wall through which that smaller pipe passes.
However, the present inventor is unaware of any seals adapted and configured to seal a relatively large gap between a flexible hose, cable, or other line and the opening in a wall or panel through which the line passes. There have been a number of devices developed to respond to another problem with RV holding tank drain hoses, i.e., the problem of the hose coming out of the collection tank opening in the ground due to dynamic pressure causing hose movement during the dumping operation. These devices generally comprise either clamps or weights attached to the distal end of the hose, i.e., the end opposite the RV, and do nothing to seal the hose passage through the wall or panel of the RV service compartment.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a pest control seal for a recreational vehicle solving the aforementioned problems is desired.